"Missing You Did you know the moon was so old It might have to go into a home? It keeps edging nearer The way old people do. Goya wore candles on his hat But Humphrey Davy invented the miner's lamp. On Enceladus a day is longer than a year. Tonight, we have the Spanish Civil War. You can't go on like this, moon, Peering into people's bedrooms And the stars have their own lives to lead. When did you last think of Cassiopeia? Really? Think!"
"You must pull yourself together, moon. You say you remember things. What can you remember? It's embarrassing. You think you're all right. Only yesterday you put rice crispies in the fridge. What's going to happen next? If your hand trembles, sit on it. Wipe your mouth. Skittering about. When did you have a decent job? Your voice is like a nervous cough. You must pull yourself together And shut the door if you can't sing in tune."
The moon is personified as an elderly, failing relative whose proximity and nosiness worry a family. Absurd historical and astronomical details contrast grandeur with senility. Practical admonitions—commands to tidy, restrain, and conform—mix cruelty with caretaking. Imagery alternates between cosmic references (Enceladus, Cassiopeia) and humiliating domestic specifics (rice crispies in the fridge). The tone is satirical and theatrical, combining dark humour with social critique. The portrayal exposes Western discomfort with ageing and suggests a cultural savagery toward the elderly. Characters shift between mockery, concern, and bureaucratic control.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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